Gate control for dump trucks



Feb. 5, 1946. M cc GATE CONTROL FOR DUMP TRUCKS Filed Feb. 16', 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 awe/WM Man a el Carrea Feb.5, 1946. M, can 2394,1153

GATE CONTROL FOR DUMP TRUCKS Filed Feb. 16, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Manuel Con-ea Patented Feb. 5, 1946 GATE CONT ROL FOR DUMP TRUCKS Manuel Correa, Clarksburg, Calif., assignor of one-half to John H. Veteran, Walnut Grove,

Calif.

Application February 16, 1944, Serial No. 522,547

4 Claims.

This invention relates to, and it is'an object to provide, an automatically functioning gate control device for dump trucks of the type having side' dumping bodies including outwardly swingable side gates through which the load is discharged; the device being operative to positively close the gate upon lowering of the body to horizontal or carrying position after dumping of a load, and to release the gate for gravitational opening movement only upon tilting of said body to dumping position.

A further object of the instant invention is to provide a gate control, as in the preceding paragraph, which includes a movable lever pivotally mounted on the truck body, a vertically alined strike plate mounted on the truck frame, said lever being dependent when the body is tilted and engaging the plate and being swung to a nondependent position when the body is lowered, and control means between the lever and gate arranged to close the latter when the lever is in said non-dependent position.

An additional object of this invention is to provide a gate control device as above for a side dumping truck body wherein the gate is hinged for outward and downward swinging movement; said control means including a flexible cable connected at its outer end to the gate at a predetermined point and running over a sheave on the body at a relatively elevated point, the cable being actuated by said lever.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a gate control device for a side dumping truck body having a gate which includes upper and lower longitudinal gate sections, the upper section being hinged at its upper edge for outward and dependent swinging movement, and the lower gate section being hinged at its lower edge for outward and downward swinging movement; the gate control device being operative to positively close the lower gate section upon lowering of the body, and said lower gate section including means arranged to then look the upper section against opening.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Figure 1 is a rear end view of a. truck having a side dumping body incorporating the present invention; the carrying position of the body'with the gate closed being shown in full lines, and a partially tilted position of the body is shown in broken lines.

Figure 2 is a rear end View of the truck, showing the body in full dumping position, with the gate open.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation, partly broken away, showing one of the control lever assemblies.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the numeral l indicates generally a dump truck which includes a main frame 2 supported by ground engaging wheels 3; the frame 2 including transversely spaced longitudinally extending horizontal frame beams 4, to which are fixed horizontal cross beams 5 disposed in spaced relation lengthwise of the vehicle.

The truck i includes an open topped load carrying body 6 normally supported on the longitudinal beams 4' between the cross beams 5. Adjacent one end of the cross beams 5, the latter are pivotally connected as at 1 to the adjacent portion of the, body 6 for lateral tilting and dumping of said body, as clearly shown in Fig. '2. The body 6 may be tilted by power mechanism included in the truck or by a separate lifting device at the point of unloading.

The body 5 is closed at both ends8', and on the side adjacent the pivots 1, is fitted with a gate which comprises an upper longitudinal'gate section 9 and a lower longitudinal gate section 10; the lower section being of somewhat lesser height than the upper section.

The control device for the above described gate comprises the following arrangement? Adjacent the side of body 6 opposite the gate, said body includes in the lower frame portion ll thereof a longitudinally extending, turnable shaft [2, said shaft extending the full length of the body and projecting slightly beyond opposite ends thereof. A gate controi'mechanism is arranged between each of the projecting ends of saidjshaft' and the corresponding end of the lower gate section [0, and as these gate control mechanisms are identical in construction, a description of one will suillce.

An upstanding radial lever I3 is fixed on the end portion of the shaft l2 and is disposed in swingable relation exteriorly of the adjacent end 8 of body 6. A flexible metallic cable It is connected at one end to the upper end of lever 13 by means of a clevis and pin unit I5. Adjacent the gate side of the body 6, the cable 14 runs over a sheave l6 fixed on the side of body 6 at a point adjacent the plane of the upper edge of lower gate section III and from the sheave 16 the cable 14 extends at a downward and outward slope to connection with an eye IT on the adjacent end of lower gate section i0, It will be seen thatup'onfswinging movement of up: standinglever 13 in a direction late'rallyof the truck and away from the gate, the lower gate section In will be positively closed, and such swinging movement of the lever l3 is accomplished upon lowering of the body and in the 7 said body;

detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A gate control device for a dump truck having a supporting frame, a tiltable body thereon and whichbody includes a gate mounted for gravitational opening movement upon tilting of said device comprising a pulley mounted on the side of the body adjacent the plane of the upper edge of the gate, an upstanding lever mounted in swinging relation on the body at the side thereof remote from the gate, a cable fixed to the gate and extending thence over the pulley and thence to a connection with the free end of the upstanding lever, the length of the cable being such that when the body is tilted vertically and the gate swings open by gravity it .will' pull the lever in the direction of the gate, a substantially fiat horizontally disposed strike plate on the truck frame, a second lever fixed in connection with the first lever, the secofthe load, the lower endof lever .l8,'.which is rounded as at 2|, engages a horizontal transversely extending strike plate 22 fixed mine path of;said lever on the adjacent one of the cross beams 5. With continuedlowering movement of the body, thelever I8 is swu'ng'from its dependent position, in an upward and laterally inward direction to anon dependen't horizontal position, as clearly shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. When this occurs,'the lever l3 swings laterally of the vehicle in a direction, away from the gate, causing a pull on cable 14 and a positive closing of lower gate section [0. The upper gate section 9 naturally closes by gravity in'advance' of closing of the lower gate section' 10, and a longitudinal locking lip 23 fixed on said lower gate section it! on the outside projects outwardly from its upper edge, laps and locks the upper gate section 9 against accidental opening movement. f

As a gate control mechanism as above is employed at each end of the body 6, the closing movement imparted to the lower gate section I ll is not only forceful but balanced, Also, if the truck is of a type which includes a' gate on both sides and wherein the body is arranged for tilting laterally in either direction, gate control devices may be l applie'd to both gates by merely duplicating in reverse arrangement the structure hereinbefore described j While the gate control is herein described for use in connection with a laterally tilting body having a side gate, the invention obviously can be incorporated in a rearwardly dumping body having an end gate.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects ofthe invention as set forth herein. V

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such 0nd lever being so positioned with respect to thefirst lever that when the latter is in its position toward the gate the second lever will depend fromthe body toward strike plate in a direction toward the gate, whereby as the body is lowered from its tilted position the second lever will ride the strike plate and swing the first lever in a-direotion away from the gate and exert a pull on the cable to close the gate.

- 2. A' device as in claim 1 in which the free end of the second lever is rounded for free slidingmovement over the strike plate.

3. A device as in claim 1 and in combination therein a stop element on the body, and an arm fixed relative to the levers and engageablewith the stop to limit the movement of the levers upon opening of the gate whereby to maintain the second lever in proper operating relation with respect to the strike plate.

4. .A gate control device for a dump truck havinga tiltable, body which includes a gate mounted forgravitational opening movement upon tilting of said body, said gate comprising vertically extending upper and lower gate sections normally disposed in adjacent edge to edge relation, the upper gate section being" hinged on the body for outward, dependent swinging movement, and the lower gatesection being hinged on the body for outward and downward swinging movement; said device comprising a pull element connected to thelower gate section, and means operative to pull said element and positively close the lower gate section upon lowering of the body from tilted to carrying position, the lower gate section including a longitudinally extending lip mounted onthe outside of the upper gate section and projecting jjoutwardly beyond the upperedge thereof; said upper gate section closing by gravity upon lowering of the body to carrying position, and said lip lapping and locking said upper gate'section upon closing of the lower gate section.

MANUEL CORREA. 

